1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cleaning devices of a type sometimes referred to a lint removers.
2. Prior Art
Cleaning devices having a roll of adhesive coated sheet material, typically crepe paper, rolled adhesive coated surface outward and mounted for rotation about the axis of the roll are well known. The adhesive coated surface picks up lint, hair, dandruff, etc. when rolled over clothes, furniture, etc. until the adhesive coating looses its effectiveness because of the amount of foreign matter it has picked up. When this occurs, the cleaning ability may be restored by removing the used outer turn of adhesive coated paper to expose a fresh adhesive coated surface.
Although much thought has been given to how to neatly tear away the used adhesive crepe paper, manufacturers are generally not willing to fit sharp metal blades to such devices for reasons of cost and safety. There are two solutions that are found among products of this category. These are to either cut a straight line slightly narrower than the adhesive paper across the adhesive paper roll, or to provide perforated lines in the paper. However the adhesive paper is very thin, and each layer is adhered tightly to the next layer. Therefore it is very difficult to peel away a layer of the paper, especially for users without long fingernails. Furthermore, when the edge of thin adhesive paper is broken in an irregular fashion, it is prone to ripping on the edges when being peeled, making it more difficult to change paper, and possibly even resulting in new adhesive paper underneath also being damaged and wasted.
In order to achieve a thin adhesive paper that is easy to peel away, conventional products of the same category all use complex technology to apply an adhesive substance to the center of the paper backing, leaving the two sides free from adhesive, and making the backing easy to peel away. However, when peeling away and changing the paper, it is easy to tear a single layer of paper, which results in additional trouble.
Also conventional products of the same category are one-piece club-shaped assemblies from the fitting of the adhesive paper to the location of the handgrip and are without a function of folding and opening. They are relatively large in size and also require the addition of a special adhesive protection sheet or coating to cover the adhesive paper, and this presents considerable technical difficulties. The covering and disassembling actions are extremely troublesome and inconvenient. Furthermore, if the protective sheet is lost, there is no way to protect the adhesive paper. Additionally, the smoothness of rotation of the adhesive paper is not as good as that of our company's design.
A lint remover having a sticky soft plastic roller uses a folding housing which folds around the roller for protection when not in use, and which opens to form a handle-like protrusion. The housing does not tightly lock in the open position, nor in the closed position, as it has not catch or lock at the ends opposite the hinge area. Also when in the open position, the surface of the handle-like protrusion does not align with the surface of the other housing part, so that the housing, when open, does not have an aesthetically pleasing appearance.